What's flowering as forage in your area

[Moobee]

Yes they do, and good honey it is too - once it's been allocated to mellow

Turns all your wax bright yellow too!

 

[Vanterrier]

Bramble just starting to open here in sheltered spots but the main exposed hedges and patches are still a few days away.
K

 

[Dutchman]

Bramble and lime both just starting here, now all we need is the sun.

 

[Richard]

Himalayan Balsam is just starting to open here. Thought I saw the distinctive colour a few days ago but drove past too fast to be certain. Today, definitely is.

 

[hemo]

Black berry is hot at the mo , bees all over it at home apiaries.
All a bit chalk and cheese this year forage wise , village apiary usually awesome but very poor this year.
Local orchard apiary so so but all over the Blackberry not much in supers but should hopefully start filling and this nice humid weather will do wonders for the lime.
Garden colony going strong added 6th & 7th super today and may demaree or triple brood them on Friday (haven't decided which yet) will need a taller step to reach the top.

 

[holmbee]

Multi Floral Rose...a wicked invasive...is in full bloom. Burnt orange pollen. Staghorn Sumac coming on. A very good nectar producer. Slight vanilla flavor in the honey.

We have a number of Staghorn Sumac trees. I have noticed the flowers, an unusual pyramid shape, but not noticed it attract bees before. Will have to look out for it this year.

 

[Antipodes]

Garden colony going strong added 6th & 7th super today and may demaree or triple brood them on Friday (haven't decided which yet) will need a taller step to reach the top.

Brilliant!

 

[Erichalfbee]

We have a number of Staghorn Sumac trees. I have noticed the flowers, an unusual pyramid shape, but not noticed it attract bees before. Will have to look out for it this year.

Ours attract bees. We have two in the apiary. They must be invasive because odd ones pop up in the neighbouring field. I thinks they must be male plants as the spikes don't persist in the winter. Mike Palmer mentions his bees using them too

 

[JohnRB]

Glorious smell this morning taking the dog for an early walk - Lime in full flower at last

 

[Erichalfbee]

Glorious smell this morning taking the dog for an early walk - Lime in full flower at last

Envy
None here
The flowers make lovely tea btw

 

[Garry R]

The blackberries in Somerset seem reluctant to open their flower buds but there are loads of them and with some good weather forecast we may rescue the honey harvest up to a point depending on how well the colonies built up during the cool wet weather.

 

[Swarm]

Glorious smell this morning taking the dog for an early walk - Lime in full flower at last

Couple of weeks in advance of the Limes just down the road, possibly two to three weeks before ours flower. I'll have to check the village where I grew up, loads of Limes there and a couple of my over wintered colonies went there to an old friend.

 

[Swarm]

The blackberries in Somerset seem reluctant to open their flower buds but there are loads of them and with some good weather forecast we may rescue the honey harvest up to a point depending on how well the colonies built up during the cool wet weather.

It's been like that here but they have started flowering now, nectar dripping from the frames today.

 

[Moobee]

Blackberries properly out. Bees also on sea daisies, tamarisk, hebes, fuchsias, geraniums and privet just starting to flower.

 

[JohnRB]

Envy
None here
The flowers make lovely tea btw

I might try making some tea. I'm wondering if it tastes like it smells?

 

[Amari]

many years ago there was regulation that landowners had to keep it down to reasonable levels - it was up to county councils to enforce. but nowadays - nothing

I'm sure you could find a home with the Monster Raving Lunatic Party.........

 

[hemo]

Garden colony procurred 237lbs last year , despite a slow start to spring due to the poor weather I can see them still doing 150 lbs + this year. I will likely tripple brood them Friday just to give the queen plenty of space but expect it will be used for honey stores so near 200lb is likely .

 

[Erichalfbee]

I might try making some tea. I'm wondering if it tastes like it smells?

Put a little honey in it. Half the taste of anything is the smell, anyway

 

[Dekzion]

There's a monster mature Lime 100 yards away, there's so many flowers the tree is more yellow than green!
The blackberries around here have huge flowers and the mock orange is out in force.
I've got hives that are the other side of a hedge to quite a large property that grows annuals and perennial plants for sale so there's all sorts over there!
On the same property as the hives there's a 70ft black walnut tree that is way behind and only just getting full leaf cover, there's also an equal size holly tree, when that blooms even I can hear the roar from the bees on it.
In the border there's a ten foot square area with 'lambs ears' fully out in flower being ravished at the mo mainly by Carder bees,
There are large numbers, over ten, huge multi headed verbascum mulliens 8ft tall and multi headed fully out now but the bees are too busy elsewhere to look at them. but when the dozens of very large hollyhocks bloom they'll be interested then!
I'm responsible really for the bloomage in this vicars garden, have been for about five years, but the vicar doesn't realise, and it's been a challenge to get bee friendly blooms right through to October at scale (important) for the girls though. I'm not quite there yet but the Rev is coming round to the idea that she needs a foxglove tree! haha.

 

[Do224]

Bees loving the poppies